Roots

[Rían]

Originally Posted by The Gaffer

Well, Bruce did do a fair bit of prevaricating, and the lords were prone to switch sides according to the direction of the wind, which would be the message there.

Hey, he was a canny Scot, and was waiting for the right time and circumstances to best take on England, which was not exactly an easy thing to do

[katya]

My daddy's named after Robert the Bruce.

[Rían]

Cool! *highfives*

[Jonathan]

Originally Posted by The Gaffer

Even then, it depends on the Irish. If he's wearing a Rangers jersey or clutching a bible and shouting "No surrender!" you might want to think twice.

Lol!
Does that mean that you Gaffer, as a Celtics fan, aren't de facto British?

[The Gaffer]

(It's Celtic singular, by the way.) Naw, I'm a Brit, and a Prod. I just like Celtic better than Rangers.

Most Scots think of themselves as both Scottish and Britisth (I think), though perhaps the Scots part has been in the ascendancy of late. Certainly, if we get the Eton poshboys running Westminster in a couple of years things are going to get interesting.

[The Gaffer]

Originally Posted by RÃ*an

Hey, he was a canny Scot, and was waiting for the right time and circumstances to best take on England, which was not exactly an easy thing to do

And not without intestinal fortitude. Here's my favourite Bruce story:

Originally Posted by http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bannockburn

Sir Henry de Bohun, nephew of the Earl of Hereford, was riding ahead of his companions when he caught sight of the Scottish king himself. De Bohun lowered his lance and began a charge that carried him out of history and into legend.

King Robert was mounted on a small palfrey and armed only with a battle-axe.[9] He had no armour on. As de Bohun's great war-horse thundered towards him he stood his ground, watched with mounting anxiety by his own army. With the Englishman only feet away Bruce turned aside, stood in his stirrups and hit the knight so hard with his axe that he split his helmet and head in two. This small incident became in a larger sense a symbol of the war itself: the one side heavily armed but lacking agility; the other highly mobile and open to opportunity.

Rebuked by his commanders for the enormous risk he had taken, the King only expressed regret that he had broken the shaft of his axe. Cheered by this heroic encounter Bruce's division rushed forward to engage the main enemy force.

Now THAT would be a filmic episode right there.

[Rían]

I wonder if de Bohun had time for a split-second last thought of, "Now THAT was embarrassing!"

[Coffeehouse]

I welcome more Rootish posts from all of you! Spill the beans of your family's history if you care (and dare!)

[katya]

Originally Posted by me!

My dad's mum was pretty interesting, but she is really mean too, especially to her kids. Interest include sewing, church, cats, and opera. Singing, I mean. Supposedly she was offered to go to New York and be a professional opera singer, but her dad wouldn't allow it. She also eloped once or twice, the first time to marry an Indian (a man with some Native American ancestry, I mean), and she married my grandpa after he died. She's still alive now, but she's pretty much gone with the fairies and doesn't know who I am anymore.

Update. I guess she's pretty much gone now. My aunt was going to go down and see her at the end but she's not going to make it, those few hours it takes to drive down, she said. I guess the funeral's already planned to be next weekend. She was something like 83 years old. It was definitely her time. I think she was more than ready. R.I.P. grandma.

[Mari]

I'm sorry Katya.

[katya]

Oh, don't be sad, Mari! I'm just glad she's not miserable anymore. She didn't like the nursing homes and things much.